That’s the tagline the company touted leading up to its October 4th 2016 reveal, where it announced the release of a whole new hardware experience for its customers. This was a turning point for Google, as it gave them much more freedom and flexibility over each and every component that went into the Google devices consumers use every day.

The new hardware suite is wide ranging, with some, like the Pixel, pushing into premium device territory, while others such as Google Home push the boundaries of what our upcoming A.I. overlords are currently capable of.

Google Wifi however, represents an incredibly simplistic version of a usually cumbersome and complicated technology. Through the use of a simple app, sleek setup, and a design reminiscent of its air freshener-like cousin, general consumers and power users alike can get their fix from this old-but-new mesh networking technology.

This is our Google Wifi review.

History

If you’re not familiar with the concept of “wireless mesh networking” technology, it’s time to get acquainted.

A mesh operates by using multiple networking nodes that talk to one another and spread a signal across a wide area. Only one node needs to be physically plugged into the internet, while the other nodes in the system simply accept the frequency being output by the base node and use their own bands to once again spread the signal in a wide radius.

Like many technologies, mesh was first developed for military purposes, but eventually made it’s way into the consumer sector using common appliances such as radios. Over the last decade, mesh technology remained concentrated in enthusiast communities, though it did see some use in large scale projects such as city-wide Wi-Fi. Now, Google is looking to take advantage of this technology to help solve the problem of strong, reliable wireless that can cover your entire house, no matter how big it is.

Google has been waiting to use mesh technology for years

Google says they have been wanting to use this technology for years, and began working on it about four years ago. They wanted to get the idea of a simple, easy to use Wi-Fi network into the wild as soon as possible however, which is why we have Google OnHub. Now that the company is taking control of its hardware with the new Made By Google campaign, it can work with component manufacturers to achieve great hardware at an affordable price. Enter Google Wifi.

See also:

Google OnHub router hands-on impressions

June 9, 2016

Specs

Google Wifi can support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. The routers optimize the network each device is using every five minutes, and will switch bands when one network is less congested. This happens only while a device is idle, so don’t worry about your movie getting interrupted every few scenes.

The routers support IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, and use WPA2-PSK. The AC1200 2×2 Wave 2 Wi-Fi expelled from these routers can help them talk to one another and expand the mesh outwards. There is no limit to the amount of routers you can use in your mesh, so whether you have a small house or a large warehouse, you should be able to cover your space completely.

Features

Network Management

Google Wi-Fi will automatically switch your devices to the strongest, fastest connection. It can detect congestion on the network and will actively work to move your devices to the connections that will work best. It can support speeds up to about 600Mbps, so don’t worry about not being able to stream that 4K movie.

Network Assist

Network Assist is a feature within the Google Wifi app that will help you get the most optimal experience possible. After setting up your access points, Network Assist will tell you if you can maximize your network speed by moving some of your points to other rooms. Since only one access point actually requires direct wiring to the network modem, your other points can be placed anywhere they can get power.

Wi-Fi Pause

Google knows that parents might want to limit their kids’ use of the internet, which is why they implemented a Wi-Fi pause feature. Simply select the device you want to halt, and the Wi-Fi will be “paused” on that device. I asked Google if they were planning on implementing a scheduling feature to allow data at certain times, but they said this was a feature that would likely come later, as they wanted to focus more on making the app simple and intuitive for now.

Smart-Home Control

Through a special site, on.here, guests can access and manipulate smart-home appliances like Phillips Hue lights. These lights are currently the only working devices, but Google said they are planning on adding other devices in the future. In addition, Google Wifi supports IFTTT, meaning you can control your Nest thermostat and other things using the app.

Prioritized Devices

If you’re a gamer or a movie buff, there are probably specific devices that you want to prioritize to make sure you get the fastest speeds possible. Google has added a “Priority Devices” feature into Google Wifi to let users select the devices they want the highest speeds on.

Device Grouping

You can group a set of devices using labels, meaning you can control multiple connected devices at once. For example, if you want to shut off all the kids’ internet at a particular time, you can do that.

Speed Test

Say goodbye to speedtest.net and hello to native testing. Google Wifi can perform a speed test right in the app, making it easy to see if you are having issues. The app will also tell you what kind of video quality you can stream, going all the way up to 4K.

Guest Networks

You can create guest networks through the app as well. This network can have special permissions separate from the main network, but can be set up to still have access to connected devices like Chromecasts. This way you can allow a babysitter or guests in your Airbnb to use features you don’t mind sharing, and not the features you don’t.

Setup

The setup process is a breeze

Setup of the network is actually extremely straightforward, which is what Google was pushing with this product.

First, simply connect one of the Google Wifi routers to your network switch and power it on via Ethernet and USB-C respectively. After that, your phone should auto-detect that Google Wifi is in your home. It will prompt you to download the Google Wifi app if you don’t have it already, then have you set up the network.

Simply scan the QR code on the bottom of the router, and Google Wifi registers the router with Google cloud and verifies the encrypted key. You can then name your network, and proceed to select what room your core node is in.

The network knows if you got the (1) or (3) pack, and will prompt you to set up the other nodes if you have more than one. You don’t even have to scan these, they should be ready to go. Once it registers that the nodes are in the network, it will have you choose a name and location, and will move you on to the next device.

Each router connects to one another using a 5GHz connection, so it is best to place them about 1500 square feet away from one another if possible. Google wants to promise a consistent 100Mbps to all users if possible, and says you should never experience any drops due to issues with the router. If you do, they have 24/7 customer service that you can call to get your issue fixed right away.

Conclusion

Google Wi-Fi was born out of Project Carrowack, which aimed to solve the problem of home-based Wi-Fi solutions being manufactured for industrial purposes. It allows admins to perform network checks and take control of connected devices and is ridiculously easy to set up via the included app. Simultaneous Band Switching allows for the absolute fastest speeds available on each device, and smart-home control allows for admins and guests alike to take advantage of the future of home technology.

If you’re looking for routers that are simple but powerful, this is for you.

]]>http://www.androidauthority.com/google-wi-fi-review-733819/feed/14Is someone stealing your Wi-Fi? How to tell, and what you can do about ithttp://www.androidauthority.com/someone-stealing-home-wifi-network-692360/
http://www.androidauthority.com/someone-stealing-home-wifi-network-692360/#commentsSat, 14 May 2016 00:11:57 +0000http://www.androidauthority.com/?p=692360

Is your Wi-Fi connection sometimes a little sluggish or unresponsive? Perhaps your monthly allowance seems to run out a little too quickly? If that’s the case, then it’s possible that someone might be piggybacking on your home wireless network. This guide will walk you through a few tips to check out who is using your network and what you can do to help keep yourself more secure.

Before we begin, here’s a little breakdown of some of the technical terms and some background information that will be helpful to know.

The router, or Wi-Fi hub, is the most important device on your home network, as it is responsible for managing all of the devices and connections in your home. This little box connects up to your phone or fiber line and then offers a wireless connection to other devices. It’s essentially the gatekeeper, so understanding this little box is the key to keeping your home network fast and secure.

Each physical device that connects up to the network, such as a smartphone, laptop, or a printer, has an individual MAC address. This is unique regardless of what a user calls their device and is provided to the router so that it can assign the device a network IP address in order to send the correct data to the right place. This address can be a very handy way to identify any offenders who are accessing your network.

See who’s on your network

Now that we have a general overview about how your home network works, and that each connected device must present a uniquely identifiable MAC address to the router, we can take a look at exactly who is connected to your network by looking through some of your router’s settings. Unfortunately, router models and user interfaces vary hugely, so you will likely have to dig up your own manual for specific instructions. Even so, this general overview should give you more than enough pointers to get started.

The first port of call is to log in to your router. This can be done through a web browser on any device connected to your network. The exact IP address and password that you will have to enter varies a lot, but they usually look something like 192.168.X.XXX. If you need help finding this, you can open up the ipconfig command on a Windows machine or use a WiFi config app for Android, see below, to find the default gateway IP address. The router’s administrator password can almost always be found attached to the box or inside the user manual.

Once inside, you will want to navigate to the MAC address page. This will probably be tucked away under an advanced settings menu. Have a look for terms such as MAC address or perhaps even MAC address filtering, which could be under the firewall settings. Here’s an example of what the page might look like.

An example of a home Wi-Fi router’s master MAC address list.

Once you’re in, you can see how many devices are connected to your network. A basic count should be able to tell you if you have any intruders, but you can also manually compare the MAC address of any devices you have in your position against the addresses saved on the router. On Android devices, simply head into Settings > About device > Status to see the address, while the same information can be found on PCs by using the ipconfig command.

If this all sounds a bit too hands on, there are other methods for checking out connected devices. On Android, there are a number of apps available that will allow you to discover and manage other devices over Wi-Fi. However, these likely only expose “public” devices, and sneaky users may choose to keep their devices private, in which case these methods may not show you all of the devices that are connected to your network. Here’s a list of Android apps that are worth checking out, and there are plenty more to try in the Play Store:

Securing your home Wi-Fi

The best place to start with securing your home network, as well as all of your gadgets, is to make use of the built in password functionality. If you’re currently running an open network, you’re pretty much inviting people to piggyback on your signal.

Most routers these days come with a Wi-Fi password enabled by default and usually lists it on the box somewhere. Either way, any router worth its salt will offer up a number of security options for you to toggle, along with the option to change the password to anything of your choosing. If you think your password has been compromised, switch it to something else and it will boot everyone that doesn’t know the new key off the network. But remember to pick a strong password and not something predictable.

To strengthen your level of security, be sure to pick the encrypted WPA2 (AES) password key option rather than WEP, as this is much more secure and harder to crack.

Again, you will have to log in to the administrator section of your Wi-Fi router to make these changes, in the same way that we did to look up the MAC addresses. Most of these settings can usually be found under a router’s security or advanced settings menus.

WPA network keys offer the best security for home Wi-Fi. Avoid WEP keys where possible.

Most routers will also offer up a MAC Address Filtering option to allow or deny access to specific devices, which you could use as well. Depending on your router, you can either select an existing MAC address to block or enter ones to allow manually. In the latter case, you will need to find the MAC address of each device that you own.

As you’re probably already thinking, this can be a pain to use, especially if you have to look up addresses for each of your devices and keeping an up to date list will be really annoying. Even if your router has more convenient blocking capabilities, MAC addresses can be changed or spoofed by someone with the correct knowhow. If someone has the capabilities to bypass a 128-bit WPA password, then changing their MAC address would be absolutely no problem. A secure password is much more important than MAC filtering.

MAC address information is available on all devices, but manually allowing these on your network is more hassle than it’s worth.

If you happen to have a more advanced router, you may be able to find a setting that can impose bandwidth limits on devices connected to your network. These are mostly intended for use as family settings to control how or when the little ones can go online, but can also often be used to set up general limits for all devices. This way, any new device that connects to a network will only be able to use up a certain share of your bandwidth or monthly data allowance.

Hopefully this little guide has given you some useful starting points and general good habits to keep your home network as secure as possible. If you’ve had any of your own network security experiences, feel free to share your advice, tips, and solutions in the comments below.

While having all your devices connected directly to a data plan is convenient, it’s not always feasible or cost effective. Our days revolve around computers, tablets, wearables, MP3 players and more. If you want to keep all of your gadgets connected while on-the-go, you will need a WiFi hotspot.

Which one should you buy, though? We will show you our favorite models in this article, but first let’s give you the basic rundown.

What is a WiFi hotspot?

It’s actually a very simple idea. WiFi hotspots can connect to wireless carriers just like smartphones. These units will then create a WiFi signal that will allow any gadget to connect to it, giving it access to carrier data. It pretty much does the same as your smartphone when you tether, but it is made to do only that. This affords it a number of advantages, with the biggest being that Wi-Fi hotspots have much better battery life than a tethered phone would.

Best WiFi hotspots for USA users

Not planning to use your hotspot out of the country? Here in the USA we have plenty of great options for good prices, as well as affordable plans. Let’s take a look at them.

Verizon MiFi Jetpack 4620L

Verizon has one of the strongest networks in the USA, as well as insanely good 4G LTE coverage (check it out here). If you want reliable data, Big Red is unbeatable. We picked the Verizon MiFi Jetpack 4620L because it gets the job done, is backed by a strong carrier and is super affordable.

This hotspot may not have fancy features or glorious touch screens, but it will keep up to 10 devices connected. It also has a 5-hour battery life, which is not too bad. The best part is you can get it for as low as $50.81 on Amazon; off contract and ready to use.

Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot—AC791L

Now, if you do want something a little fancier, we have another decent looking Verizon hotspot for you. The Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot (AC791L) will have you covered no matter what. It has a 24-hour battery life, so you could even take it on your weekend trips to stay connected.

Because it’s also a world device, it can keep 15 gadgets connected in over 200 countries. And data is not the only thing this hotspot will provide, it will also keep your devices charged, as it can operate as a portable battery.

It only holds 4,340 mAh of juice, though, so don’t expect it to charge your devices too much. That may be enough to keep your WiFi hotspot on for a full day, but it’s not much for smartphones and tablets.

What’s the damage? This bad boy is priced at $199.99, but you can get it for $49.99 if you sign a 2-year contract.

Freedom Spot 803s 3g/4g

It’s not always about what WiFi hotspot you get. Sometimes you want a good deal, and if you live within good Sprint coverage, there is a service that offers great bang for your buck. In fact, you could use it for free, if you go light on your data usage.

FreedomPop gives you 500 MB of data for free, each month. You can earn more by completing special offers or referring friends. There’s also data plan options available, but they happen to be pretty affordable when compared to the competition.

The Freedom Spot 803s costs $129.99, but that is a very worthy investment if you consider it will grant you free data each month. It can keep up to 8 devices connected and is estimated to stay alive for over 6 hour on a single charge.

ZTE Falcon Z-917

We know a number of our readers love T-Mobile. After all, their Uncarrier moves are a bit hard to ignore. If you have a Simple Choice plan, you can even take advantage of Data Stash (rollover), so you might want to look into a good WiFi hotspot from Magenta.

We happen to like the ZTE Falcon Z-917. It is simple and works well. T-Mobile is not very specific about battery life, but the 2,000 mAh unit should help it last a while. Standby time is estimated to be about 7 days.

It’s also pretty affordable at $79.99, and you can even get it on installment payments of $3.34 per month.

AT&T Unite Explore

AT&T is another carrier with great coverage in the USA, so after featuring Verizon and T-Mobile it was only obvious where we would get the next WiFi hotspot device from. But networks aside, the AT&T Unite Explore is actually one of my favorite hotspot units.

It has a 22-hour battery life and a rugged body that will ensure the elements don’t destroy it. This one is IP65-certified and backed by MIL-STD-810G protection. Not good enough? AT&T’s hotspot can also work as portable charger and keeps up to 15 devices connected.

Not the cheapest at $199.99, but you can get it for $49.99 with a 2-year contract.

Best WiFi hotspots for international travelers

The WiFi hotspots listed above are great, but they are linked to a carrier, which is likely no good for those of you who travel often. We have some special options for the travelers, so let’s go through them.

Huawei E5330Bs-6

There’s plenty of good, unlocked WiFi hotspots going for good prices, and the Huawei E5330Bs-6 is one of them. It is small, portable and unlocked. Supported bands include UMTS bands 850/1900/2100, which means it can take advantage of AT&T’s 3G speeds, but only 2G on T-Mobile.

This Huawei unit is only $65.95 from Amazon, though, which is a good deal for a completely unlocked device. We do wish it had 4G LTE, but it’s still a good product if you don’t need too much speed. Its 1,500 mAh battery can keep it alive for over 6 hours, and it connects with up to 10 devices simultaneously.

MiFi 2

The MiFi moniker is almost synonymous with hotspots, as it was one of the first brands to go big in this market. The MiFi 2 is a bit older by now, but it is still one hell of a WiFi hotspot, especially considering it is currently priced at $68.95.

With a 2,900 mAh battery, one can pull about 16 hours of battery life. It can also connect with up to 10 devices, but you may find that little screen more interesting. You can use touch to control everything, as well as share media. By the way, it does take 32 GB microSD cards.

Huawei E5770s-320

Now, here is something a little nicer, but it will cost you $181.95. Is it worth it? It just might be if you are in need of 4G LTE, 20 hours of battery life (5200 mAh) and a portable charger (yes, it can charge your devices via USB). It also supports up to 10 device connections, simultaneously.

MCD-4800 BGAN

We are not sure how many of you have the need and money to get this one, but if you really want a connection wherever you go, nothing gets better than this. The MCD-4800 is not your average WiFi hotspot, and the $12,995 price point will tell you that right off the bat.

Any sailor, pilot or adventurer will love it, as it is not limited to regular cellphone networks. Instead, this unit can tap into satellite internet and offer a connection anywhere in the world, as long as you are not in one of the poles.

The unit has a WiFi range of up to 100 meters and supports 464 Kbps speeds. That is a bit slow… but hey, it works from anywhere! Other sacrifices are that it weighs 25 pounds and is pretty huge, but it’s easy to use and can last about 5 hours on a single charge.

It’s a large investment, but it’s an option at least some of you may find convenient.

Wrapping up

Are any of you guys looking for a good WiFi hotspot? Which of these are you liking? Also let us know if you have had any experience with these. I have used the MiFi 2 and it treated me pretty well. Hit the comments to share your own experiences!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, your smartphone’s Wi-Fiantenna is only of the biggest drains on your battery, especially when you’re constantly streaming large chunks of data from the web, such as a video. It would be great to cut down that power consumption and researchers from the University of Washington have demonstrated that it is possible to generate Wi-Fi transmission signals using 10,000 less times power than that required by conventional technologies. The team has dubbed its technology “Passive Wi-Fi” and it could become a key Wi-Fi technology in future years.

Passive Wi-Fi works by decoupling the digital and analogue operations involved in radio transmission. As it’s the analogue radio components that require so much power, the researchers moved this off into a single mains connected device that sends out a signal into a room or area. This signal is then absorbed and reflected using a digital switch on much lower power digital components, in order to send traditional Wi-Fi packets. So the power savings continue to stack up when there are more devices using the very low power components in range of a single higher power transmitter.

“All the networking, heavy-lifting and power-consuming pieces are done by the one plugged-in device. The passive devices are only reflecting to generate the Wi-Fi packets, which is a really energy-efficient way to communicate … We can get Wi-Fi for 10,000 times less power than the best thing that’s out there.” – Shyam Gollakota, UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering

The technology can transmit Wi-Fi signals at rates up to 11 megabits per second and this can be decoded on any of the billions of devices with existing Wi-Fi connectivity, including your smartphone. On the University of Washington campus, Passive Wi-Fi achieved a communication range of 100 feet (30 meters), which is certainly better than my home router.

Impressively, this means that Passive Wi-Fi can send data further while consuming 1,000 times less energy than existing low energy standards, such as Bluetooth and Zigbee. This potentially makes it not only a game changer for familiar connected devices, but Passive Wi-Fi might also open up a market for entirely new connected products.

A paper further detailing the technology with be presented in March at the 13th USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation in California.

WiFi is a crucial technology found inside our smartphones that we all use every day, but if you’ve ever stared a little longer at a spec sheet or your home network router you will probably have noticed that there are a few different number and letter combinations tagged on the end. These different designations define some quite different properties of the overarching WiFi standard, so here’s an explainer to break down the differences.

A brief history of standards

First up, let’s deal with that weird looking 802 number. This naming system is actually used by a number of networking standards that you will probably be familiar. Ethernet networks begin with 802.3, Bluetooth has an 802.15 prefix, and WiFi is tagged with 802.11. All the different WiFi varieties will begin with this 802.11 number, followed by a letter or two which, from a consumer point of view, is useful for identifying other properties, such as the maximum speed and range of the particular device.

To help ensure compatibility with different pieces of hardware and networks, you’ll often find that products support multiple, if not all of the standards at the same time. You may have seen a listing like Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac on the spec sheet for many smartphones, which covers all of the oldest and most common modern standards.

Much of the renaming has simply come about to help define incremental improvements to the standard, mostly in terms of speed increases. More recently, WiFi has been splitting into some quite different branches, but we’ll get to those in a minute. Here’s a breakdown of how the most commonly used versions compare:

802.11 (legacy)

802.11a

802.11b

802.11g

802.11n

802.11ac

Max Speed

1.2 Mbit/s

54 Mbit/s

11 Mbit/s

54 Mbit/s

150 Mbit/s

800 Mbit/s

MIMO

no

no

no

no

up to 4

up to 8

Frequency

2.4 GHz

5.8 GHz

2.4 GHz

2.4 GHz

2.4 & 5 GHz

5 GHz

Year

1997

1999

1999

2003

2009

2013

Following the initial launch of the WiFi standard, 802.11b became the most commonly adopted in consumer devices, partly due to its lower cost. This was replaced by the much faster 802.11g three years later, which retained backwards compatibility to maintain support with existing hardware, but left the revision with some of the old drawbacks.

While the move from the original standard through to 802.11g was mostly about speed improvements, 802.11n introduced the first optional use of the 5GHz band, a frequency that is much less cluttered. The n revision also introduced the first use of MIMO antennas for higher parallel throughput. Speeds can theoretically reach up to 450 Mbit/s, depending on the number of antenna connections.

The last major revision to the main WiFi standard was 802.11ac, which was designed to dramatically increase the speed of data transfers. This is the first standard on the way to “Gigabit WiFi” where speeds can reach 1 Gbit/s, by far the fastest WiFi version to date. 802.11ac also runs solely on the less cluttered 5 GHz band and this higher frequency and modulation rate allows for a higher speed, at the expense of range compared with 2.4 GHz 802.11n or g.

The future of WiFi

There are new WiFi technologies just hitting the market and more on the way in the next few years too. These mark some quite different approaches to WiFi that could enable some entirely new device classes. One of the most recent to crop up is 802.11ad, which just appeared in the new Le Max Pro smartphone, powered by a Qualcomm chip.

802.11ad takes a very different approach to existing WiFi technology, aiming for a massive boost in speed at the expense of range. This version opts for a very high 60 GHz transmission frequency that enables data speeds to reach around 7 Gbit/s, which is fast enough to potentially use for wireless hard drives. However, this comes with a major trade-off to range, as the frequency cannot penetrate walls and requires a direct line of sight to the router.

802.11ad is suitable for fast data transfers within a single room, but not for a complete home or office network. This does however have promise in living room situations, where users may want to transfer a huge 4K movie file from a device to a TV. However, it is also currently quite an expensive technology to implement.

Of course, there are new revisions on the way for longer forms of WiFi communication too. In fact, the recently announced 802.11ah standard, also known as WiFi HaLow, is designed to reach up to reach 1 kilometer (3,300 ft), providing that certain conditions are met.

To achieve greater coverage, 802.11ah is transmitted at just 900 MHz, a much lower frequency than the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi technologies. The trade-off is that speeds greatly decrease the longer the distance from the transmitter and devices will only be able to transmit data at speeds between 150 Kbit/s and 18 Mbit/s, making it slower than most existing home networks. However, this is quite well suited to low power devices that only require the transmission of short bursts of data, such as Internet of Things devices.

The final specifications for 802.11ah aren’t expected until March 2016, after which WiFi chip manufacturers can begin designing and producing hardware components for use in future products. The first HaLow certified devices will ship from 2018, according to WiFi Alliance.

One last interesting development in the WiFi space is talk about 802.11af networking. This has also been dubbed White-Fi or Super WiFi and uses television spectrum frequencies between 54 MHz and 790 MHz, potentially making this the longest range WiFi technology yet, with miles of coverage.

This would again be helpful for long distance IoT communication and could also be used in business or industrial applications that require long range communication. Speeds could be acceptable over these distances because of the lack of interference, however these frequencies will be unavailable for WiFi in some regions, limiting the potential consumer applications.

Wrap Up

WiFi is faster than ever these days and has clearly undergone a major transformation since its conception almost two decades ago. Importantly, WiFi networking is keeping up with new ideas, such as the Internet of Things and the demand for higher resolution content. However, as a result we may have an even bigger list of spin off of standards to keep an eye on in the future.

The Internet of Things requires low power consumption and long range, and HaLow delivers both.

Announced today by WiFi Alliance, HaLow (pronounced “halo”) is an extension of the upcoming 802.11ah WiFi standard designed for the millions of smart devices that are expected to invade our lives in the following years.

WiFi HaLow will operate in the 900MHz band, which is unlicensed spectrum. Because it works at frequencies below 1GHz, HaLow needs less power to transmit data and can do it over longer ranges. WiFi Alliance says HaLow has double the maximum range of 802.11ac, and that it can reach 1 kilometer (3,300 ft.) in certain conditions.

HaLow has double the maximum range of 802.11ac

WiFi HaLow is designed for use cases where low power and long range are more important than high data throughput. Compatible devices will initially be certified for speeds varying from just 150Kbps up to 18Mbps.

Thanks to the properties of the spectrum range it operates in, WiFi HaLow can penetrate concrete walls and other obstacles that greatly reduce the range of devices using current standards.

Like Bluetooth LE, WiFi HaLow is primarily designed to accommodate battery-powered devices. Everything from smartwatches, to security cameras, various sensors, smart appliances, and cars will be able to use HaLow to connect to central hubs, that can, in turn, link to the cloud through higher capacity connections.

See also:

Which Android phones charge the fastest?

December 14, 2015

Access points supporting HaLow’s 900 MHz bands will probably also support 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, making it easy to connect everything from laptops to wearables or even implantable devices. Applications could go further than IoT though – WiFi connectivity is a major battery drain, so this new low-power standard could improve battery life on smartphones and many other type of devices.

The first HaLow certified devices will ship from 2018, according to WiFi Alliance.

You all know how Qualcomm is! They like teasing us by letting information trickle out of their news room drop by drop. The Snapdragon 820 is to be their most high-end chipset and we want to know all about it, but they simply won’t divulge all the details soon enough! First they announced it and told us a bit about the Adreno 530 GPU. This was followed by a taste of the Hexagon 680 DSP and the introduction of the powerful Kryo CPU happened soon afterwards. What’s next?

Qualcomm swears the latest bit of information is the “final piece of the puzzle” (somehow I doubt that). Today’s announcement is all about connectivity, which is likely the most important part about our mobile devices.

LTE speeds

Of course, Qualcomm is not skimping out on its world-class high-end processor. When it comes to data speeds, the Snapdragon 820 is all set to take on the most demanding of tasks. For starters, it supports LTE Cat 12 download speeds of up to 600 Mbps. I am sure I don’t need to tell you that is a lot… but holy molly that’s a lot! That is over half a Gigabit, guys. Pretty crazy stuff. And upload speeds are not bad either, at 150 Mbps (LTE Cat 13).

But what Qualcomm is most excited about is its LTE-U ( LTE in Unlicensed). Qualcomm gives you the whole explanation at their blog, but the general hint is that this process allows network operators to install “small cells” in areas with high data demand. Supported devices can then take advantage of both the network towers and these WiFi router-sized antennas, aggregating the data and using it as a single, faster connection.

WiFi improvements

In addition to improved cellular data speeds, Qualcomm made sure to work hard on bringing better WiFi experiences to your super phones. The Snapdragon 820 supports 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO, which can double or triple speeds in crowded networks. The chip also includes support for 802.11ad WiFi, giving smartphones the ability to handle multi-Gigabit speeds.

Connectivity – not just faster and stronger, but also smarter

Cellular and WiFi data are usually treated differently, but ultimately they serve the same purpose – transferring all those bits between your phone and the internet. The only issue is that sometimes these technologies don’t merge well in everyday usage, an issue Qualcomm is trying to solve with the Snapdragon 820.

This processor adds the ability to have the smart device choose between LTE and WiFi by first determining which offers the best connectivity. Qualcomm mentions this especially helps during WiFi calls, as the device can jump in and out of your home network to offer you the clearest sound possible. The platform also supports native HD video calls, which makes it possible to switch into a video call straight from a regular voice call.

Get ready for the Snapdragon 820!

I may not believe them, but Qualcomm swears today they wrap up their Snapdragon 820 details and have already told us enough. Are you convinced? Surely, the Snapdragon 820 is to be on the best of the best devices to come during the first half of 2016. You can be sure we will be all over those products when they come. For now let’s just sit tight and wait while Qualcomm and its partners do their thing!

WiFi may empower us to do clever things but the technology itself isn’t that smart. It doesn’t communicate anything meaningful until a full connection has been established, which means that it can’t tell us useful pieces of information about the service that we want to connect to. However, the newly unveiled WiFi Aware specification aims to change this.

WiFi Aware enables certified products to discover and communicate with other nearby devices without relying on an internet connection, sort of like Bluetooth Low Energy or Qualcomm’s LTE Direct. Devices will continually broadcast small packets of information, which could allow applications to push notifications to other devices or provide information to a user about a nearby service, person or business, all before making a regular WiFi connection.

WiFi Aware is part of the growing trend towards smaller hubs connected up to the larger Internet of Things. This could power all sorts of simple conveniences, such as turning on you lights when you’re in range of your home WiFi or finding a nearby shop which stocks your favorite products.

A key part of the idea is contextual data. We don’t want to be bombarded with all of the information from variously nearby networks. Instead, users will have control over the type of data they are alerted too and the data that push to other devices, a filter if you will. WiFi Aware devices know about everything in close proximity, but only connects to relevant sources of information.

Privacy and the impact on battery life are sensible concerns, but Edgar Figueroa, President of the WiFi Alliance, says that WiFi Aware is very power efficiency and consumes less energy than traditional WiFi. As for privacy, apps that use the service will have opt in/out settings, and the lack of an instant Internet connection offers some extra protection.

The first wave of WiFi Aware gadgets and applications not here just yet, but Broadcom, Intel, Marvel and Realtek already have certified chips for future gadgets. Social networks could roll out applications with Wi-Fi Aware before the end of the year.

Did you know that I used Chrome Remote Desktop to publish last week’s Android customization post on remote desktop applications? It wasn’t the first time I’ve done that, and it won’t be the last. I hope you get the same value out of the apps.

This week we are going to skip the Tasker and Android M topics we’ve been brainstorming for you, instead, I’ve heard from a few of you this past week alone asking about troubleshooting data usage on your devices. Let’s collectively answer a few of those concerns with a quick system check and general look at managing your data use and background services.

Before we begin

The more seasoned Android user may consider this piece to be for the beginners in the crowd, and they are probably right. We are not looking at any fancy tools or techniques today, just running through the default system settings of your Android device.

As mentioned, you do not need to install any apps today, just pick up your Android device and get ready to roll. We will be using our trusty stock Android 5.0+ Lollipop device, your experience may differ with manufacturer and carrier skins or older versions of Android, but we think the concepts are pretty standard, you should be able to mostly follow along.

Data Usage Settings

Android comes with a built-in data usage tracker that is able to keep tabs on your cellular and WiFi total usage, as well as usage for individual apps. Although this tool is quite consistent and effective, please consider your carrier’s data tracking tools to be king for your cellular usage, we don’t want you going over your limit because Android failed to properly track something.

Head into your system Settings.

Click on Data Usage.

From here, poke around to find the option to swap between Cellular and WiFi data counts, turn on or off your cellular data and WiFi and more. You’ll see a graph of your current month’s usage with a drop down to see previous months usage amounts. Finally, scroll down to see a list of all of the apps that have connected to the internet on your device.

Tap an app to see a detailed view of its data usage and turn off its ability to use data in the background.

Turn off background data

If you are experiencing an app that is eating up your data in the background, which also eats up your battery, you can turn off background data for each individual app, as noted above. But if there is just too much going on, you can also turn off all background data.

From within Settings -> Data Usage, tap on the menu button in the top right corner, then tap Restrict background data.

And when things get really bad, you can come back to completely turn off cellular data. This is a little bit less restrictive than turning on Airplane mode, but can also be accessed from the quick settings section of your notification shade.

Turn off Scanning always available

This is a controversial one. Google enables the setting Scanning always available by default because it enhances your user experience. While this is true, it also allows apps to eat up WiFi and battery, even when WiFi is turned off. Turning this setting off may not save you much actual data, but some report that it has saved them significant amounts of battery drain.

We recommend you play with this setting independent of the rest of the changes you make today, so that you can evaluate if turning it off has actually helped you.

From the main system Settings, head into Wi-Fi.

Tap the three dots menu button in the top right.

Select Advanced.

You’ll also see the options to turn off notifications for public access points and WiFi usage while the device is sleeping and more.

Check Accounts sync

Last thing today, you will find that much of your data usage is from apps and services that sync in the background. This goes especially for Google services, but many other apps also have controllable sync settings from within Android settings.

Head into your system Settings.

Tap into Accounts.

You see now what apps and services have sync controls. Don’t forget to check these and other apps for sync settings within app as well.

I recommend clearing the others first, leave Google for last. Again, you want to be choosy here, apps and services that you use frequently, or enjoy receiving notifications from, will need to stay turned on. You can see that I turn off Humble Bundle sync, nothing against them, I actually own almost every mobile bundle, but I simply do not access the app frequently enough to require constant syncing.

When you tap into the Google section, you will see all of the accounts that you have logged into the device, and the last time they reached out to Google servers to sync.

Tap on your account (email address) to see a detailed list of services.

Toggle on and off the service you wish to have constantly updated.

You notice that I have my Android Authority account logged in, but I only have one Google service syncing, Gmail. All of the other Google services I want with me on this device and actively syncing are tied to my personal account(s). Each of my devices is configured slightly different based on the services that I use them for, but my general rule for my gear is that if I’m not using it, I don’t sync it.

What’s next

Well, there you have the three biggest data usage controls on your Android device. Take some time to get to know your device and needs, play with the available settings. There is some trial and error ahead of you as you figure out which items to turn off and which you must keep turned on to keep your device operating properly.

You may also encounter rogue apps, including this strange one called Android OS, that eat far more data than you think they should. Diagnosing this is a case by case situation, but a few things to keep in mind are as follows:

1. The many services across Android will sometimes report data use under unexpected apps. For example, the very first time I pinned and downloaded music to Google Play Music on my tablet, most of the collection reported data under Play Music, but a large amount appeared to have reported under Google Services and a little under both Android OS and Media. I’ve seen this type of random distribution for data that should have landed under Removed apps and users as well.

2. Android Share menu. There are times when you will take action on your device, perhaps sending pictures to a friend or downloading a file from your cloud storage solutions. Depending on your situation, it is possible that the data usage will report under the app you started with, the app you shared to, or both. We need an example here, the new Google Photos will work – As you view photos that are stored in your Google+ Photo storage, Photos will use the data to download and view, but if you then share some of those photos over G+, will Google+ then report the data use, or will Google Photos? I haven’t actually tested this, but I hope you get the idea.

3. Uninstalled apps. Admitting that there is a dedicated data usage entry called Removed apps and users, I do not trust that all data is properly reported here. Once again, I suspect at least some data use from uninstalled apps reports elsewhere.

So, what do we do about all of this data reporting leakage? Feel free to discuss in the comments below, I will eventually revisit this with some suggestions, but it might be a while before I get to it, sorry. In the end, the numbers do add up to report your total data usage with some accuracy, regardless which app it reports as using your data.

Please remember that we kept it very simple here today, there are apps and custom ROMs that focus on reporting and controlling your data much better than the built-in Android tools. Perhaps we’ll visit those around here one day as well.

Next week

I hope today’s Android customization post has empowered you to take and keep control of your data services and usage. Next week is another grab bag, there is still one particular feature in the recently updated Tasker that I want to share with you, just as there are tons of great new features in Android M.

What do you say, any really weird data usage reports in your device, like, is anyone else getting usage numbers for 60 years into the future and can help me fix that?

Riddle me this: when is a Gear S not a Gear S? When it’s being sold in Japan by KDDI’s au brand, one of the big three carriers here in Japan. The recently released smartwatch has garnered a lot of attention as of late, given its curved screen and 3G-enabled data connectivity by way of a SIM card. Indeed, eager Samsung owners living in the USA can attest to this feature, as it’s now available on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. A quick visit to the maker’s portal site actually requires the customer to select a carrier before the watch can be purchased.

So what about those customers who want the watch with only WiFi? They’re currently out of luck, unless any of them plan to move.

In Japan, the Gear S is available on two carriers, either in (carrier) stores, or via the carrier websites. The larger of the two, NTT docomo, is selling the standard SIM-enabled variant. But the aforementioned smaller carrier, au, is selling a WiFi-only model. Things are somewhat noticeable from the product pages themselves, as the docomo variant specifically lists a “SIM Ejector”, whereas the item is missing from the au version. Take a look:

The missing SIM tray is noticeable on the actual product itself. Note the distinct absence of a SIM card slot on the au version:

It’s not quite clear as to why Japan has received a Wi-Fi only variant. Although au is a CDMA carrier, Verizon Wireless is selling it the USA with mobile network support, thus it’s not a technology issue. The user manual for the Verizon Gear S doesn’t indicate any SIM slot either for that matter, thus the card must be inside.

At the end of the day however, it’s not unreasonable to think that Samsung might eventually release this WiFi-only Gear S elsewhere. Why customers here need to purchase it through a carrier on the other hand, is another mystery entirely.